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UF Lacrosse: Gators Dominate Owls in Midweek Matchup

Courtesy of University Athletic Association

BY KATIE CALLAHAN

Nine players score at least one goal to lead Florida to victory

The sixth-ranked Florida lacrosse team dominated Kennesaw State on Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Owls 20-7.

Florida improves to 2-1 on the year, while Kennesaw State drops to 0-2.

The Gators had nine different players find the back of the net on Wednesday afternoon, led by a career-high four goals from Paisley Eagan.

Maggi Hall, Danielle Pavinelli, and Shannon Kavanagh each registered a hat trick in the game, and the three-goal performance was a career-high for both Hall and Pavinelli.

Brianna Harris (2), Grace Haus (2), Kassidy Bresnahan, Shelton Sawers, and Jackie Norsworthy rounded out the scoring column for Florida. Norsworthy’s goal was the first of her collegiate career.

Eight different Gators dished out at least one assist on the afternoon, with Hall, Harris, Hannah Mardiney, and Lexie Morton leading the way with two apiece. Ashley Gonzalez, Emily Heller, Haus, and Pavinelli each tallied one assist.

The Gators dominated the draw circle, winning 20-of-29 draws on the day. Kavanagh posted a team-high eight draw controls, while Harris added three. Emma Wightman, Liz Harrison, and Heller each came up with two draws apiece as well.

As a squad, Florida forced eight caused turnovers, led by two from Cara Trombetta. Heller, Haus, Hall, Becky Browndorf, Kaitlyn Dabkowski, and Sarah Reznick each tallied one CT in the victory.

Trombetta held KSU offensive threat Marissa Gore to just 1-of-2 shooting on the day and also notched a team-high four groundballs.

Browndorf registered three groundballs of her own, while Dabkowski, Pavinelli, and Hall each recorded two on the afternoon.

In the cage, redshirt freshman Sarah Reznick notched three saves, while freshman goalie Julia Hammerschlag saw a career-high number of minutes in goal, finishing with 9:22.

The Gators are back in action on Saturday when the team travels to DeLand, Fla. to take on Stetson. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m. at the Athletic Training Center.

Records
No. 6 Florida (2-1)
Kennesaw State (0-2)

How it Happened

  *   Florida hopped onto the board first, with Grace Haus registering her first goal of the day less than a minute into the game.
  *   Brianna Harris notched her first goal of the season to put Florida up 2-0 before KSU got one back just under a minute later.
  *   After the KSU goal, the Gators went on a 5-0 run behind goals from Maggi Hall, Paisley Eagan (2), Shelton Sawers, and Haus to take the 7-1 lead.
  *   With 15 minutes remaining in the first half, KSU cut Florida’s lead to five at 7-2, but the Gators answered with three straight goals from Hall, Eagan, and Shannon Kavanagh. Eagan’s goal with 10:44 remaining was not only a hat trick for the redshirt sophomore but marked a new career-high.
  *   KSU scored with 4:41 left in the first half, but the Gators closed the half on a 4-0 run behind three goals from Danielle Pavinelli and one goal from Eagan. Pavinelli scored her first collegiate hat trick in the span of three minutes to end the frame.
  *   Out of the break, Kennesaw State cut Florida’s lead to 10, but Hall picked up her third goal of the day to extend Florida’s lead back to 11 with 26:40 remaining in the game.
  *   The Owls notched back-to-back goals to pull within nine at 15-6, but the Gators strung together a 4-0 run behind two goals from Kavanagh and a goal apiece from Harris and Kassidy Bresnahan.
  *   With the Gators leading 19-6, the Owls scored their final goal of the game with 7:20 remaining to pull within 12, but Florida struck last, with Jackie Norsworthy giving Florida its 20th goal with just over three minutes remaining.

Insight from O’Leary

  *   “This was a great team win overall today. We knew it would be important to control the draw from the start, and we did just that. Our offense and defense were both really solid today, so overall very happy with this performance.”

Notables

  *   This is the first time this season that Florida has had more than two hat tricks in a game (4)
  *   Paisley Eagan recorded four goals on the day, a new career-high for the redshirt sophomore
  *   Danielle Pavinelli notched a career-high three goals
  *   Maggi Hall recorded a career-best three goals and two assists
  *   Jackie Norsworthy registered her first collegiate goal in the game
  *   Lexie Morton tallied a career-high two assists on the afternoon
  *   Grace Haus inched closer to becoming the 13th Gator to record 100 career goals after scoring two goals this afternoon. She currently sits at 97.
  *   Florida improved to 108-4 (.964) in the IWLCA Top-25 poll in the 12-year history of the program
  *   Shannon Kavanagh’s 30 consecutive games with a goal is the fourth-longest streak in program history (Record – 40 games, Shayna Pirreca)
  *   Shannon Kavanagh currently holds the record for the most consecutive games with a draw control (45)
  *   With two assists today, Bri Harris extended her streak to 12 straight games with an assist, the second-longest streak in program history
  *   The Gators are now 135-2 (.985) when scoring at least 14 goals
  *   Since 2011, Florida has the third-most wins of any Division I women’s lacrosse team with 160
  *   The Gators take the 2-0 series advantage over the Owls, with both wins coming in Kennesaw, Ga.

Up Next

  *   The Gators return to action on Saturday when the team heads to DeLand, Fla. for a matchup with Stetson
  *   Opening draw is set for 1 p.m. at the Athletic Training Center

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